Rain
by Beregond5
Summary: G1. Ironhide does some thinking during guard duty.


Ironhide stood by Teletraan I with arms crossed, legs stretched out in an attempt to get more comfortable. Though necessary, surveillance duty was bothersome, even boring at times, and Ironhide was more than glad whenever Red Alert came to relieve him; it gave him the opportunity to take up some other, more fitting kind of duty for his abilities.

Still, a boring surveillance duty was good in a way. It meant one day more without having to deal with the Decepticons and their evil plots to drain Earth from its energy sources. And when the day would come that he would never see another one of those creeps again, it would be a Primus-blessed day for sure.

A rumbling sound reverberated through the Ark, cutting him off his thoughts. Not sure what to make of that, he immediately sat up and pressed a button.

"Report, Teletraan I," he said. "What hit us?"

"No impact detected on the Ark," Teletraan I said. "The sound was the result of air rapidly expanding. Please, standby for visual confirmation."

Moments later, the computer screen changed from a map of the globe to an image that one of the security cameras outside the Ark provided. There was a flash of light, soon to be followed by another rumbling sound. Ironhide sighed as he finally understood _what_ the commotion was.

"Thunderstorm, huh?" he muttered. "And judging by my stiff joints, we're in for rain, too."

"Affirmative," Teletraan I agreed. "Sky Spy indicates decrease of air pressure in the Oregon vicinity. Rain estimated in forty Earth minutes."

Ironhide snorted. "Never underestimate an old timer's functions," he said. "Are there any airborne Autobots near the rain?"

"Five Autobots detected."

"I bet my circuits it's the Aerialbots." Without losing a beat, Ironhide pressed another button and activated the communication frequencies.

"Ark to Aerialbots. Aerialbots, do you read, over?"

Ironhide didn't have to wait long for an answer. "This is Silverbolt of the Aerialbots. Go ahead, Ironhide."

"Name your location, Silverbolt."

"80 miles east of the Ark. What is the matter?"

"Teletraan's sensors detected rain approaching your location. I suggest you get out of its way, over."

"Understood. We're changing vectors as we speak. See you at the Ark in ten minutes. Silverbolt out."

"Good," Ironhide said, and relaxed back into his seat. After all, if there was rain, the seekers wouldn't be able to fly either. So, all he had to worry about was to count the minutes till he changed shifts with Red Alert.

_______________________

Once the Aerialbots were safe inside the Ark and thirty minutes later, the first droplets of rain started to fall as well. In a matter of moments, the few droplets became much more and, soon enough, it was bucketing down. The thunderclaps and lightning certainly didn't make things more pleasant either.

Ironhide stretched his legs, wincing at the whinging sound his knees made. The humidity really put a strain on his joints. And though Ironhide realised he ought to talk to Ratchet about this and have the doc look at them in case they were repairable, he couldn't bring himself to do it, in all honesty. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Ratchet's abilities; far from that. Ratchet had repaired him more times than Ironhide could remember over the years.

The problem was… the joints weren't paining him because of some old war wound. They were paining him because _he _was getting old. And if he went to Ratchet and complained about that, the doc would only confirm him.

Ironhide hated that prospect, for that would also confirm that he was probably getting too old to fight as well. And he _wanted _to keep fighting. He wanted to be there when the Decepticons were finally destroyed and peace returned once more. He wanted to be there to see Cybertron revitalised and thus see a new Golden Age beginning. And he wanted to see all that with the knowledge that he was part of the team that made it all happen.

Perhaps he was selfish to make such thoughts. After all, for all he knew he could die tomorrow. Who was he to question what fate had in store for him? Even if he didn't live to witness the peace he so longed in his spark, others _would_. That should be enough.

He hoped it would be anyway.

It was then that he fleetingly saw a very familiar form in one of Teletraan's switching monitors. Ironhide stiffened at once, certainly surprised to see him out there in the open.

"Teletraan, show sector 4-G again."

Teletraan I complied at once, showing on screen a desert area that was merely five minutes away from the Ark and getting soaked in rain.

"Zoom in," Ironhide instructed.

Teletraan I did just that and, seconds later, Ironhide could clearly see Prime's bulky figure. The Autobot leader was sitting on the edge of a cliff, his shoulders slumped forward and hugging one knee with both arms, whereas the other leg was dangling haphazardly over the precipice. He didn't seem to mind the rain as the element of nature still whipped him mercilessly. He hardly acknowledged the water that was accumulating on his helm, only to continue its trail down his face-plate and give the impression of tears. He just stared ahead, looking at something that only he himself seemed to know.

It was then that Ironhide realised _he_ wasn't the only one feeling old.

______________________

The sound of metallic footsteps made Ironhide turn around, although he was sure who it could be. Truly enough, Red Alert entered into the control room, scanning it as he did so. Ironhide tried to suppress a weary sigh and a shake of his head as the thought that that Autobot was too paranoid for his own good crossed his mind.

"All clear," Red Alert finally declared, seeming satisfied. He greeted Ironhide and approached him. "What about the outside world?"

"All clear too," Ironhide answered. He stood up, keeping in check the small sound of pain that wanted to escape from his vocaliser as his knees protested the sudden motion. "I leave everything to your hands."

"Where are you going?" Red Alert asked curiously.

"Out," Ironhide merely answered before transforming and driving off. He didn't bother to hear Red Alert's objections to such an action because of the rain.

And so, five minutes later, he had arrived in a particular area where an Autobot leader was still sitting as motionless as a statue. The booming thunder must have covered Ironhide's revving engine and the sound of his transformation, for Optimus didn't realise he wasn't alone until Ironhide actually spoke to him.

"Is the seat next to you taken, Chief?"

Optimus's optics seemed to light up a bit as they locked their gaze on Ironhide, and the Autobot leader shook his head.

For Ironhide, that was enough answer. A few moments later, the two warriors were sitting side by side without exchanging any words, yet both wishing that the rain would cleanse their scars and bring along new hope.

**The End**


End file.
